Posts tagged “Electronic Arts”

After several weekends of “beta testing” California’s Great America officially opened “Mass Effect: New Earth” to the general public today.

So, did the park finally “dial in” the attraction?

In a word…yes.

Photo credit: California’s Great America

I’ve written about the ride experience previously, but that was based on the “beta” experience. Thankfully, the park took feedback from guests and made many of the necessary adjustments to make the experience even better. (Still need more shade in the line, though!)

Photo credit: California’s Great America

Speaking with the people who worked on the attraction after the “first ride,” many of them had been on the project from the initial concept nearly 18 months ago. You got the sense talking to them that this experience is just the beginning for this technology.

But don’t take it from me – see it for yourself:

Even the CEO of the company who created the over 4K display screen told me, “We could have pushed the envelope even further.”

Further? I’m not sure how much more realistic it could be. Remember, this is the same technology that was supposed to debut for Michael Jackson’s “This is It” tour – and the tech has only become better since then:

Photo credit: California’s Great America

With all the sound channels now perfected and all the effects now working – Mass Effect: New Earth is worth a trip to California’s Great America.

However, I do echo the sentiment of at least one other reporter, who mentioned in their review that while gamers will love this ride and understand it top to bottom, but those who have not played the series may have a difficult time discerning what’s going on in front of them.

As much as video game people like to think otherwise, it’s still a niche marketplace and doesn’t have the mass appeal that say, “Star Tours” or a “Star Trek” themed ride would have. A bit more background and storyline in the queue would certainly help that.

Overall though, I think we’re looking at a solid new attraction for a park that needed it, and it just might the ride we look back on a few years form now and say this is where the amusement industry stepped up to the tech plate and started a truly digital revolution.